Franco-Czech laboratory fro clinical research on obesity, since 1993 - a fruitful collaborative effort on clinical research between INSERM unit 317 (Director : Max Lafontan) and Dr. Vladimir Stich's laboratory from the 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague. The two laboratories were involved in the concerted actions EUROLIP (Impairment of adipose tissue metabolic regulation as a generator of risk factors for cardiovascular disease, BIOMED I, 1995-1997, Co-ordinator : Max Lafontan) and FATLINK (Dietary fat, body weight control, and links between obesity and cardio-vascular disease, FAIR, 1999-2001, Co-ordinator : Dominique Langin). Besides the excellence of the collaboration with more than 20 original publications, a key reason for the creation of a joint laboratory stems from the geography of obesity in Europe. The prevalence of obesity in the Czech Republic is among the highest in Europe (20% in adult population). The MONICA study revealed that the country showed among the worst figures in terms of cardiovascular disease. The cohorts of subjects that can be investigated are very complementary to those studied in France (prevalence of 10%) that shows also a marked increase in obesity with a delay of a few years.
The general goal of theses clinical protocols is to study the impact of nonpharmacological therapeutic measures on the regulation of adipose tissue metabolism, particularly adipose tissue lipolysis and regulation of gene expression, in populations with features of the metabolic syndrome. The activity of the Franco-Czech Clinical Research Unit on Obesity complements the protocols performed in Toulouse, esp. at the Clinical Investigation Center. It will allow to considerably increase the output in clinical research of both the Department of Sports Medicine and Obesity Unit in Prague and the Inserm Obesity Research Unit in Toulouse.